In many service provider communication networks, edge nodes, such as provider edge (PE) routers, interface customer premises equipment (CPE) with the provider network. The edge nodes, in turn, directly or indirectly interface with the network node(s) implementing the provider network. Examples of such network nodes include area border routers (ABRs) that define the interfaces between the provider's core network and the edge segments of the provider network (e.g., containing the CPE and edge nodes), core routers implementing the core network, autonomous system boundary routers (ASBRs) interfacing different provider networks, etc.
Multicasting is a feature offered by many provider networks to enable multicast data from a single customer data source communicatively coupled to an edge node (referred to as a root edge node or root node) to be conveyed via the network node(s) implementing the provider network to multiple customer data receivers communicatively coupled to one or more other edge nodes (referred to as leaf edge nodes or leaf nodes). Prior techniques to perform multicasting generally involve the root edge node replicating copies of the multicast data for each leaf edge node, and/or the network node(s) maintaining state information for a multicast tree used to route the multicast data through the provider network from the root edge node to the various leaf edge node(s).